Ten years ago, NASA first approved Boeing and Space X to construct spacecraft that would fly from the United States to the ISS. Boeing received a $4.2 billion contract, while NASA gave SpaceX $2.6 billion.
Boeing vs SpaceX
Since then, Boeing and SpaceX seem to have contrasting trajectories in the race for space dominance.
NASA has spent the money to design and build Starliner, with Boeing adding another $1.5 billion in development costs.
The Starliner can carry up to four astronauts to low-Earth orbit where they can use manual or automatic steering to maneuver it. The capsule is designed to be used for up to 10 missions.
SpaceX has been actively delivering cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) since 2012. It has a total of 46 successful launches (35 governmental and 11 commercial).
Then, the Elon Musk owned company began transporting astronauts to the orbiting laboratory under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program in 2020. It launched 12 crewed flights to space, seven for NASA and four for commercial customers.
